The Tears We Cry
by KenshinOro730
Summary: It is the morning after the Grand Equinox Hunt, and Rose is confused. She decides to start her own hunting clan, far away from Jake...but what happens when she is forced to return to NYC after a 12 year absence?
1. Chapter 1: Destiny Reclaimed

A/N: This first part is kind of a prologue, and it is the morning after the Grand Equinox Hunt.

The Tears We Cry

Chapter 1: Destiny Reclaimed

Rose sat in a bench in Central Park. She didn't know what to do. She had run away last night, after the Grand Equinox Hunt, and had called the school from a pay phone, saying she had transferred. She couldn't face Jake again. She had almost killed him! She was still in her Huntsgirl uniform, minus the mask and gloves. She sighed as she looked down at the source of her unhappiness. That stupid mark! It stayed there, taunting her, reminding her of her destiny, reminding her of something she wished to forget. She glared at it for a long time. She then knew what she had to do. To keep herself and Jake safe, she would have to leave. For good. She would find some small town far away from the Huntsclan, and continue her destiny there. She could start a new division of the Huntsclan, surely the Huntsmaster would not argue with that. She would never have to see Jake again, and she would stay true to her destiny. She smiled, but it was false. Inside, her heart sank. She stood up, and walked quietly out of the park. Her mind told her that this was the smart decision, but her heart said otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2: Haunting Pasts

Chapter 2: Haunting Pasts

A young woman of twenty-five walked quickly along the dark streets of a small town in Wisconsin. She emitted puffs of fog from her mouth as she muttered angrily to herself. She had long blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. She was wearing long tan pants, hot pink heels, and a white coat. She was walking quickly, furious after another of the frequent fights with her husband. They had been married for a little over a year, but it was not a fairytale marriage. Neither had married for love. They had married almost as princes and princesses were, to create alliances, though this was between two groups, not two countries. The agreement was between a group of anti-magic fanatics, who were excellent at tracking magical creatures, and a group of dragon-haters, who were excellent at fighting. The first was called the Anti-Magical Society, the other, the one Rose came from, was called The Huntsclan. When Rose and Ken married, they formed a new group, The Dragon Hunters. This group was the elite, and superior to all other Hunting groups. It combined both of the formerly mentioned organizations strongest traits, creating a superior clan. Already, even though they had only been around for a year, they had killed two dragons. The Australian Dragon and the Iraqi Dragon. (A/N: Don't ask me where I got the countries, I just don't like Fred Nerk, and I couldn't think of another one so I thought I'd just put Iraq's dragon down.) Rose had made both of these kills. This would have made her the Huntsmistress in her old clan, but one agreement in the group's merge was that the leader be male, making her husband the Slayermaster. Rose scowled. She deserved to run the group, since it had been her idea to form the group, her choosing what dragons to attack, and when and where to attack them. All Ken did was except credit for her hard work.

This fight had started because he wanted to move the group to New York City. He told everyone it was a better spot because it was easier find places to hold meetings, and there were large amounts of magical creatures. Everyone in the group had supported him whole-heartedly, everyone but Rose. Since Ken was the Slayermaster, though, he out ruled her. They would be moving the next day. Rose had exploded at her husband after the meeting. Long story short, she had ended up storming off. No in the clan knew Rose had once lived in New York. No one knew anything about her past. No one knew she was in love with the very thing she hunted, that she was in love with the American Dragon.


	3. Chapter 3: Secrets RevealedAlmost

Chapter 3: Secret Lives Revealed…Almost

The Dragon Slayers had their first meeting in their new base, New York City, the night of their move. They all moved to a new community area, so they were neighbors, and easy to contact. Their meeting was called to order, and they said their pledge, but Rose barely mumbled it.

"Tonight, clan, we are going to address each of our members, and learn about their pasts." Ken said authoritatively. "I think we should start with a very active member of our group, my wife, Thorn." He stated solemnly, addressing Rose. What? Rose thought, this was not supposed to be the topic tonight! Now getting angry, she realized Ken had done this on purpose. She wouldn't even answer him when he asked her about her past. Now she would have to answer, or else.

"What do you want to know?" she snapped. The Slayermaster smiled wickedly.

"I want to know why you hate New York City, where you lived before Wisconsin, and why you and your uncle moved." He said calmly.

"Remember the consequences of lying."

Rose snarled, but everyone saw her pale. "I hate New York because it is a despicable, grimy city, and I used to live here. My uncle and I moved from here because we felt we could operate better in a smaller town." She said simply, though she knew she was lying, she hoped they didn't. They did.

"Don't ly, Thorn!" Ken boomed. "I'll ask you again, and tell the truth, or be faced with execution!" This angered Rose, and without thinking, she blurted out the truth, in one, awful, regretted, blur, "I hate this city because the American Dragon lives here! I hate it here because he's here! And you want to know why I left? Because I-" She caught herself in the nick of time. Everyone seemed surprised by her outburst, and urged her to continue. "Because I, um, well…I couldn't defeat the dragon…I guess I'm a bit embarrassed by it."

Everyone seemed fooled by her act, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The meeting was adjourned shortly after, and before they left, Member Rotwood whispered (A/N: Yes! Rotwood is back! He joined the group after he had like, NO success on his own! I hate Rotwood, so I'll have a little fun with him later on…bwahahaha! Oh, sorry, back to the story!) "I know you were lying, and I will find out why!" Rose glared at him, and he ran away in fright. That was a close one, she thought. I'm gonna have to watch my fat mouth. She sighed. Looking around, she saw she was the last one to leave. That big oaf, Ken, had probably already left without her. Oh, well, she could always walk home. Before she left, she looked over herself in a mirror. As she brought her hand up to push a loose blonde strand behind her ear, her Huntsclan's mark caught her eye in the reflective glass. It was permanent, now that she had slayed a dragon. Briefly, she wondered how she could kill. In her Slayer uniform, with her weapons and secret identity, she felt powerful. She felt like a rebel who seemed like she was doing something bad, but was really working for the betterment of her community. She felt like Superman, or Batman. She would go to work, hang out with friends, go to the movies; but there was a secret side to her. Sometimes she felt evil, horrible, like some kind of deranged monster. She would never allow herself to believe that she was a murderer. But she knew. It hung in her subconscious, taunting her, never the foremost thing in her mind, yet always there. It was a little voice in her head, constantly whispering in her ear. If she decided to go shopping with her friends, the voice would say, _Why? Those new clothes will soon be blood-spattered…_ She couldn't rid of it, so she just learned to get used to it. Even when she had slain dragons, she could never look them in the eyes as she did it. It felt so…_wrong _to kill them, but she didn't mind feeling evil when she was Thorn, it was Rose who had troublesome, sleepless nights. It was Rose who felt the consequences, the guilt, not Thorn. As she stared at herself in the mirror, in full warrior outfit, she realized fully who, or what she had become. All the guilt and horror of all she'd done struck her like a punch in the stomach. She had never gotten the full concept. She backed away from the mirror, one hand over her mouth.

"Wha-What have I become?" She stuttered, becoming stricken with panic. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't stay a murderer, but how could she get out of her own trap? She decided that-once again-it would be best to run away.

Her ninja training had paid off. She sneaked into her own house, quiet as a mouse. (A/N: hehe, that rhymed! Okay, story time! I think I'll stop now) She grabbed a duffel bag once dhe had made it to her room. She gathered up some of her clothes, throwing some on over her Slayer uniform, and grabbed her purse. She also grabbed the stash of cash (A/N: sorry, couldn't help it) that she and Ken had been saving up for the past year. She didn't feel bad about taking it, even though half of it was his. He was a huge jerk, and she deserved the money for having to put up with him. The last thing she took with her was a picture, hidden far in her mattress. She gave it one last look before she heard footsteps.

Dun-dun-dunnnnnn! What will happen? Who knows? Oh, yeah-I do! Hehehe! Pleeeeeeeaase! REVIEW! Any suggestions are welcome!


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